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Tips to help prepare your child for school

What is school readiness?

School Readiness is about developing a confident attitude towards learning. Children learn mainly through play and it is the best way to allow children to explore the world around them and prepare them in being ‘ready for school’.

Picture of children playing in a nursery

Applying for a Bexley Nursery place is available online from January. You can also apply for Bexley Schools from September, using the links below.

Apply for a Nursery place 

Apply for a Primary School place

I feel very excited about starting nursery/ school, but I also feel nervous and unsure, what will it be like, what if I miss my family, where are the toilets? My family may also feel excited, but nervous, hopefully all of the information you are reading will help us with this next step. Remember, as my mum/mummy/dad/daddy, you have helped me to get to this stage with all the things we have done together and you will continue to help me with learning, even when I start nursery/school.

You can access information about starting school to support me.

Can you encourage me to:

  • Be sociable with other children and adults
  • Talk about things I like or dislike, my feelings and emotions (using pictures or stories)
  • Ask open questions (what, when, why, how) and wait for answers. Extend my thinking – why do you think that happened? What could have been done differently? What would have happened if…..?
  • Be active (running, jumping, dancing every day) and healthy (making healthy food and drink choices, understanding that bedtime routines are important so that I am not tired in the mornings)
  • Be independent (dressing and undressing myself, using the toilet flushing, wiping myself and washing my hands unaided, wiping my nose, using a knife and fork, opening up the boxes of food in my lunchbox etc)
  • Tidy up what I have used and help me to follow instructions and understand the need to follow rules to keep me safe
  • Be able to take turns and share fairly
  • Explore the environment around me - looking at nature, seasons, weather etc
  • Develop interests, fascinations and a curiosity to learn
  • Develop a love of books, rhymes and songs. Encourage me to join in with repeated phrases, to make predictions about what will happen next, to make up my own stories, to find words that rhyme and sing a variety of different songs
  • Develop my creativity - exploring messy play (paint, cornflour, playdough), drawing and painting, using colours for particular purposes, cutting (with scissors) and sticking

I will be one of about 30 children, so all these skills will help me to be successful in the classroom.

The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS)

The EYFS sets out the learning and development stages for children as they grow from birth to five years. For more information, visit the GOV.UK website.

The framework is divided into seven areas of learning. The three prime areas are the most important areas of learning in the first three years of life:

  • ‘Communication and Language’ which is subdivided into ‘Listening and Attention’, ‘Understanding’ and ‘Speaking’
  • ‘Physical Development’, which is subdivided into ‘Moving and Handling’ and ‘Health and Self-care’
  • ‘Personal, Social and Emotional Development’, which is subdivided into ‘Making relationships’, ‘Self-confidence and self-awareness’ and ‘Managing feelings and behaviour’

The four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened include:

  • ‘Literacy’, which is subdivided into ‘Reading’ and ‘Writing’
  • ‘Mathematics’, which is subdivided into ‘Number’ and ‘Space, Shape and Measure’
  • 'Understanding of the World’, which is subdivided into ‘People and Communities’, ‘The World’ and ‘Technology’
  • ‘Expressive Art and Design’, which is subdivided into Exploring and using media and materials’ and ‘Being Imaginative’

There is further information available online about the different areas of the early years curriculum. There is also information about (free) funded early year’s entitlements for 2 to 4-year-olds.

Visit the Childcare Choices website for more details and for Tax Free childcare savings.

Is my child ready for nursery or school?

Here are some ideas and suggestions to find out if they are.

  • Have you left your child for short periods of time with another familiar adult?
  • Have you given your child opportunities to follow different instructions, to develop their independence? For example, can you get your jumper, it’s under the bed, and then put it on?
  • Do you play games with your child, sit together at meal times, look at books, read stories and play together, to help concentration?
  • Do you give your child opportunities to talk about their feelings, share their thoughts and ideas and have conversations with them?
  • Do you ask your child questions, such as their full name, age, birthday and talk about their family, pets, where they live, and what they like doing?
  • Do you provide occasions when your child can play with other children, so they can join in with games and play cooperatively so they learn how to be kind, helpful, share and take turns?
  • Do you have home/ outdoor rules and do you help your child to understand them? Do you help your child learn consequences, for example, if you take someone’s toy, they will be upset? If you climb on the sofa, it may get damaged or you could fall and hurt yourself?
  • How do you help children learn how to be safe, do you talk with them about crossing roads, stroking animals, using playground equipment, such as slides and climbing frames safely?
  • Do you talk to your child about what they are playing with and ask them questions, for example, explaining what they are doing/ have done/ made?
  • Do you ask your child about what is happening around them (weather, traffic, changes in seasons, other people, yesterday) and talk about it, ask questions and notice how other people are feeling?
  • Do you regularly look at books/ magazines/ catalogues/ cards with your child, do you both talk about the pictures, talk about the letters or words, get them to join in with the story or guess what is happening?
  • Do you encourage your child to listen to you and help them to respond as you would like, when you have asked him/ her to stop doing something? Do you give lots of praise, ‘well done, good listening, that’s fantastic, you’re so clever, kind, helpful’?
  • Do you encourage your child to tell you if they need the toilet, if they need a drink or if they are hungry, do you ask your child how they are feeling and get them to explain why they feel sad/ happy?
  • Do you give your child time to get dressed, let them go to the toilet and wash their hands, open boxes (like a lunch box, packaging), help with tidying up and know where to put toys when finished?
  • Do you help your child to look after things, help with recycling, sorting the washing, putting away their toys?
  • Do you give your child chances to draw on paper, chalk on the ground, paint with water, practise the letters of their name, draw squiggles, shapes and numbers?
  • Do you look at photo’s together and talk about them?
  • Do you have lots of cuddles and kisses and tell your child how wonderful they are?

Deferring your child's schools place

If you are concerned that I am not ready to start school in September, you could discuss your concerns with my childminder, nursery or pre-school teacher or with the school where I have been offered a place. If you wish, you can ask to delay my start in school until January or Easter, depending on the date of my fifth birthday, or ask for part-time education for a period of time. If I turn 5 in the summer term and have not already started school, you can request that I start Reception the following September rather than Year 1.

Parents requesting a summer-born deferral should submit an online application and accompany that application with a letter setting out their reasons for the request along with any relevant evidence. The decision will be made by the admission authority of the school where your child has been offered a place.

View further information on starting primary school